SoundRN7

Not everyone with a mental health diagnosis abuses drugs but everyone who abuses drugs has an underlying mental health issue.

Psych nurses are super human! Or maybe that's just one of this crazy psych nurses delusions.

All nurses, not just psych nurses, get frustrated with patients at times. It's completely normal.

When looking for psych nurse jobs online also use the key words "behavioral health" and "mental health" nurse.

During my first week working in psych I thought the same thing, "this is easy." That happened to be a holiday week with few patients and very low acuity. Almost two years later I'm still working psych/AOD crisis and "easy" is not a word I would use for the work I do. That's not to say that you won't have days that seem slow and easy, but that is not the norm.

I work in a psych crisis facility and we can wear street clothes or scrubs. I've never noticed it making a difference to the patients one way or another.

How about doing some progressive muscle relaxation with the group?

Does working in psych make you crazy? I think most of us that work in psych have at least a little crazy in us already. I work psych and I believe it has helped me become a better listener to my family/friends at home. On the negative side, since I deal with "crazy" all day, when I come home I don't have nearly as much patience or tolerance for BS from my family.

After getting my RN license it took me a little over a year to land my first nursing job and I landed in a psych/AOD crisis facility. I definitely lost some of my hard earned medical knowledge in the year it took me to find a job. I too had high anxiety levels those first months and often felt like a real idiot. I still feel that way some days. Even basic information about diabetes and blood pressure problems had partially left my brain. I started writing out notes for myself. For example, for diabetes I made notes about the different kinds, normal/abnormal blood sugars, signs/symptoms, medications, instructions for giving insulin, etc... I did and still do this for any new disease or medical problem that I encounter that I am not familiar with. I review and refer back to my own notes often. As a nurse I do not feel it is essential to know everything, but I do feel it is essential to know where to look to find information when needed. You will encounter many medical conditions when dealing with psych patients and it's good to see that you care about being more knowledgeable.

Working in acute psych will definitely give you the opportunity to practice nursing in a non-judgemental and caring manner to people who are at their worst. It's not as scary as you might think. There are some in the psych profession who are judgemental, seem non caring, and are burnt out, but you will find this in all areas.

At my facility the only reason someone would need to clock in and out for a break is if they were going to go out to smoke. There are some who take a break and go shopping at the mall next to work and they don't have to clock in and out for that. So they are getting paid to shop, not each lunch or take a bathroom break. That doesn't make sense to me. Guess I should have added that in my original post.

No, I was not comparing smoking to eating....really. Of course humans need to eat. I was also not making excuses or trying to justify myself. SMH

Mine is an E-cig and I get them online from a place called Vapor4Life.

If you can swing both jobs I would recommend that. Both positions offer the potential for valuable experience that can be used in any job the future.

You can get electronic cigarettes that have no nicotine in them. My original intention in using them was to slowly decrease the nicotine levels I was using, eventually going to zero nicotine. Alas, haven't been able to get to that zero level yet and still smoke regular cigs at home. It is a nasty habit for sure. I've heard others say that it's harder to quit smoking than it is to quit heroin. Never done heroin so I can't personally vouch for that.